His time in charge has been far from perfect, but Kiwi coach Milton Haig has immersed himself in the Georgian culture and committed himself to helping the national team and Georgian rugby.
Haig's time in charge has not all been easy, there has been lowpoints as well of the highs of recent wins over Samoa and the ENC Grand Slam, but one thing that he cannot be accused of is any lack of effort towards working to boost Georgian rugby.
The appointment of the former Counties Manukau coach came about during the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand. Georgia were searching for a new coach to takeover the team from Richie Dixon, who would move into a different role, and approached the NZRU for advice on any possible candidates for the job. Haig, who has also worked with the All Blacks U20 side in the past, was put for forward and jumped at the offer.
Unlike some other notable coaches of Tier 2 nations, this doesn't appear to be a career move until the next job comes along, Haig has fully committed to the role and invested into the project.
Haig has moved with his family to Georgia and worked hard to learn the language, which is especially commendable as it is a harder one that uses a different alphabet, something that many English speakers don't bother to do.
Whilst he is helped by the English speaking members of the coaching staff and squad to translate, he now told the New Zealand Herald that he speaks 70% Georgian at training sessions and only uses English for more detailed explanations. He also said that he is aiming to be soon fluent enough to do interviews, press conferences and meetings without a translator.
Appointing a foreigner in a national team coach role often has that debate about wanting the overseas expertise, but not wanting to lose an element of the national culture of the team. Haig to his credit, has immersed himself into Georgian life and learnt the history and culture of the nation. He has inherited the national team at a fascinating point of time of their rugby history, a point of time where there is potential to build into a rugby nation and leave a legacy. There is a lot of work and challenges ahead, but that Georgia have a coach dedicated to helping them face them can only be a good thing.
